Remote audio amplifier monitoring system

• US 8,554,347 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2008
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Suyama, Akio, Muto, Takaaki, Kohyama, Naohide, Iwayama, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCORD, PAUL C
• Application Number:
  US12/183,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20090033412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,895 Days
• Field of Search: 700/94
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/007 for public address systems public address systems per se H04R27/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/008 Visual indication of individual signal levels visual indication of stereophonic sound image H04S7/40

Abstract

An apparatus is provided for remotely monitoring a plurality of amplifiers on a display device. The amplifiers are provided to process audio signals and directly or indirectly connected to a network. In the apparatus, a collecting section collects a group code from each of the amplifiers through the network. The group code is allocated to each amplifier according to a grouping system for grouping the plurality of the amplifiers. A display control section displays a tree diagram of the amplifiers according to the collected group codes on the display device as a graphical representation of the grouping system.

Claims

1. An apparatus for remotely monitoring a plurality of amplifiers on a display device, the amplifiers being provided to process audio signals and being directly or indirectly connected to a network, the apparatus comprising:

a selecting section for selecting one of a plurality of groupings of amplifiers, each amplifier allocated to at least a first grouping and a second grouping and having at least a first group code and a second group code respectively corresponding to the first and second groupings, the first and second group codes respectively corresponding to first and second tree types;

a collecting section that collects a group code corresponding to the selected grouping from each of the amplifiers through the network; and

a display control section that displays a tree diagram of the amplifiers according to the collected group codes on the display device as a graphical representation of the selected grouping, wherein the displayed tree diagram is a first tree diagram displayed according to the first tree type when the selected grouping is the first grouping, wherein the displayed tree diagram is a second tree diagram displayed according to the second tree type when the selected grouping is the second grouping.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display control section selects one of the first grouping and the second grouping so as to display the tree diagram of the amplifiers corresponding to the selected one of the first grouping and the second grouping.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first grouping groups the plurality of the amplifiers based on locations of the respective amplifiers, and the second grouping groups the plurality of the amplifiers based on performances of the respective amplifiers, and

wherein the display control section displays the tree diagram of the amplifiers sorted in terms of the locations thereof when the first grouping is selected, and displays the tree diagram of the amplifiers sorted in terms of the performances thereof when the second grouping is selected.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein each amplifier has one or more of channels for processing the audio signals separately from each other, and

wherein the first group code is allocated singularly to the amplifier, while the second group code is allocated to each of the channels of the amplifier.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein one of the amplifiers is selected from the tree diagram of the amplifiers on the display device,

wherein the collecting section acquires status information from the selected amplifier through the network, and

wherein the display control section displays an operating state of the selected amplifier according to the acquired status information.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the first grouping and the second grouping comprises two or more layers and the first group code and the second group code comprises two or more corresponding group numbers.

7. A method of remotely monitoring a plurality of amplifiers on a display device, the amplifiers being provided to process audio signals and being directly or indirectly connected to a network, the method comprising:

selecting one of a plurality of groupings of amplifiers, each amplifier allocated to at least a first grouping and a second grouping and having at least a first group code and a second group code respectively corresponding to the first and second groupings, the first and second group codes respectively corresponding to first and second tree types;

collecting a group code corresponding to the selected grouping from each of the amplifiers through the network; and

displaying a tree diagram of the amplifiers according to the collected group codes on the display device as a graphical representation of the selected grouping, wherein the displayed tree diagram is a first tree diagram displayed according to the first tree type when the selected grouping is the first grouping, wherein the displayed tree diagram is a second tree diagram displayed according to the second tree type when the selected grouping is the second grouping.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising selecting one of the first grouping and the second grouping so as to display the tree diagram of the amplifiers corresponding to the selected one of the first grouping and the second grouping.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein each of the first grouping and the second grouping comprises two or more layers and the first group code and the second group code comprises two or more corresponding group numbers.